Summer on the Mainland was almost over and the Never Fairies were getting things ready for autumn.

Cedar, a forest-talent sparrowman loved autumn, it was by far his favorite season. No others could compare. In fact, he oftentimes slipped away to the Autumn Meadows to wander the Autumn Forest and admire the beautiful work of the garden-talents that painted the leaves shades of orange, red, and yellow with splashes of pale greens. Forest-talents far and wide would have to drag him back to his duties; which was tending to the truffles, finding safe passages through thick woods, and leading animal-talents to injured animals in the wilderness. Other duties included making sure the trees grew healthy, strong, and big; as well as to forage for rare ingredients for food supplies.

Since it was almost autumn, the Never Forests had special fruits and vegetables that only ripened in fall -- even in Pixie Hollow, where all the seasons melded together in harmony.

It was Cedar's duty to find one particular rare delicacy: the Never Squash, often called Pearl Swans by the baking-talents since the vegetable resembled a white swan with a pearly sheen. They were easiest to find when it was dark, making it dangerous for other talents to venture into the forest to gather them. And so forest-talents were called in.

Forest-talents knew every nook of their wood, they knew the best paths to take and always found what was lost; be it animal, fairy, or object.

"Cedar! Cedar, are you there!?" a voice came to the forest-talent's ears.

"I'm here!" Cedar called back. He flew where the voice came from. "Hey, Hawthorn. Do you need something?"

"Shh! You're not to call me that anymore, remember? I'm the Minster of Spring now."

"And so what am I supposed to call you? Minister of Spring? Way too long. Minister? Spring? Come on, help me here, Hawthorn."

The young Minister of Spring sighed. "All right, you can call me...Hyacinth." He touched the crown of hyacinth flowers on his head.

"You're no fun now that Ree has appointed you the Minister of Spring," Cedar said.

"I've always been devoted to my work," Hyacinth said. "And I'm here to get YOU devoted to YOUR work. YOUR talent. And that's to go into the Silver Trees Woods to gather Never Squash. It's a very important job." Hyacinth got excited, then, "There's a new baking-talent named Dulcie and she can make the most amazing desserts, even out of ingredients she's never used before. I'm looking forward to the Never Squash pie she plans to make for the Fairy Feast.

"So! Let's make our way to the Silver Trees!"

Cedar laughed. "Well, if you put it THAT way."

~*~

The two friends left the Autumn Forest for the more dull-colored Silver Trees Wood. Hyacinth left Cedar at the entrance, as the sun set over Torth Mountain; naturally it was too dangerous for the newly-appointed Minister of Spring to venture in, even with a forest-talent as a guide. It would only slow Cedar down, and the sparrowman was already slow at his duties.

Though the Silver Trees looked dark and scary, Cedar didn't hesitant a moment. No matter how creepy a wood was to other Never Fairies, any forest was home to a forest-talent. They were born with a knowledge and understating of the trees and plants.

~*~

The Silver Trees Wood was, in truth, a beautiful forest; with silvery-gray trunks and silvery-blue leaves. When a full moon shone upon it, the entire wood glowed -- like the moon itself.

Cedar nimbly made his way through, scanning for the gleam of a Never Squash; sometimes he found pools of them, looking like fairy-size swans in a lake.

But nothing so far. Where could all the Never Squash be?

Well! Cedar knew of ONE spot in the forest that yielded a great amount of Never Squash every harvest time.

He burst into the glen where he had playfully dubbed Swan Lake, expecting to see little pearly swans swimming in silvery moss-green leaves and vines.

He DIDN'T expect to see a shadowy figure consuming the very last Never Squash. It was HUGE. Pirate-size! WAS it a pirate? Cedar couldn't tell, it was much too dark. The figure glanced the sparrowman's way and started to advance toward him.

Gasp! Cedar uttered a cry and flew off, scared and confused. He asked the trees that he passed if they knew who the stranger was, but none could say.

Maybe it was the fabled Never Beast! Cedar only knew it as a storytelling-talent tale, a monster of thick fur; large claws; and sharp teeth. He terrorized Pixie Hollow long ago and almost destroyed the great Home Tree. The tale went on to say that the Lost Boys, with the help of Peter Pan, scared it away. But had it returned to Never Land...?

Awesome Fairy Feast story, Sapphira! I can't wait to hear more about Cedar and his search for the Never Squash.
I like how this story is taking place in the Silver Trees. Brings back great memories of exploring the Wilderness in Pixie Hollow!

The following day, Cedar walked among fellow forest-talents as they discussed their harvest duties:

"...I just don't understand it," Leaf, a sparrowman, said to Ivy, a fairy. "The autumn rose hips always grow in that part of the wood every harvest time. But this year? NOTHING. It's like they never were!"

"It's uncanny," Ivy said, "I was sent to gather pink corn in the Timber Wood, and I couldn't find ONE single stalk!"

"I managed to locate a few mini pumpkins in the Autumn Forest," Almond said, "that's it."

"Aw, you mean the ones that are golden yellow?" Moss asked. "Those make the best pumpkin soup!"

"What are we going to do?" Clovis wondered. "Without the traditional harvest, Pixie Hollow won't have its first annual Fairy Feast on the coming full moon."

Almond laughed. "I doubt THAT. We have plenty of other foods to serve at the Fairy Feast."

Cedar stopped at the toadstool table where Clovis, Almond, and Moss sat. "It's still a problem." He surprised all present. Cedar wasn't known to be bothered by anything. "I couldn't find any Never Squash. But I DID find ONE thing." The others listened with abated breath. "A SHADOW. A shadow that ate ALL the Never Squash."

The forest-talents exchanged looks. Then as one they burst out laughing.

"I...I SAW it," Cedar said. "It was...it was HUGE!"

The forest fairies laughed even more. Moss slapped him on the back. "Good one, Cedar, you sure know how to liven things up and wash our worries away."

The Autumn Forest, it's orange leaves of so many bright hues, would make him feel better.

It wasn't HIS problem; if no one chose to listen, it was THEIR problem.

~*~

"...Cedar, back here again, huh?" a sparrowman sat next to him on a mushroom.

"Hawthorn..." Cedar acknowledged, then gazed back up at the trees.

"It's HYACINTH. When you became a minister of a season, you must throw your old name away. I'm HYACINTH, now. Anyway, you look forlorn, what's the matter?"

"Don't you have a flower to tend to? You know, that one that hails the first day of spring?"

Hyacinth became a bit wounded. When he first discovered the Never Blossom, he practically forgot his friends to care for it. There was still that gap between each other. But he didn't regret it, it's what brought Queen Clarion to bestow upon him Minister of Spring. He was very proud of that. "Cedar, we're still best friends, honest. Please tell me what's wrong?"

Cedar gave in and told Hyacinth everything.

"Hm. All the rare fall harvests are suddenly gone? A shadow of a creature in the Silver Trees? This sounds serious. I better go tell Queen Clarion, maybe she can get some scout-talents together to search Pixie Hollow..."

Cedar watched Hyacinth go. He relaxed, then, knowing at least SOME-fairy cared and would see about the shadow figure. Something would be done about it.

~*~

Cedar wandered the Autumn Forest, taking in the beauty of fall. He never knew he loved that season so much. It was mystical. A gentle season, but a powerful one too. It drew others to it and welcomed all.

High above he saw light-talents playing with the sun's light, bending its rays so it shone perfectly through the fall leaves. And at the other end of the wood, in the Pumpkin Patch, the water-talents were working on their mist and fog. Maybe Cedar would go watch.

But that's when the forest-talent caught sight of a dark shadow.

Cedar froze. Afraid.

Yet when he thought about the lovely orange pumpkins, the warm brown chestnuts, the bright red apples, the silvery white Never Squash -- Cedar forced himself to be brave and fly after the unknown shadow. Whatever it was, he didn't want anymore of the fall harvest to perish at its mysterious hands -- AND mouth.

If the fate of the Fall Fairy Feast rested on Cedar's shoulders, then so be it!

The shadowy figure suddenly turned; a strange horn in one hand and a pumpkin, as big as a Clumsy's head, in the crook of the other arm.

Cedar could see all kinds of fruits and vegetables and nuts in the golden horn. "Put those down!" the sparrowman demanded.

The shadow grinned, showing sharp teeth. "Well, well, well, what do we have here? You'll all alone, little fairy. What can YOU do? Hm?"

Cedar cringed. Could it really be the fabled Never Beast? Perhaps not. It was smelly and hairy, but it looked more like a Clumsy than a beast. It could talk, too. And could it be that both understood each other? Clumsies usually can't understand fairy speech, so what WAS it?

And what COULD one tiny sparrowman do against one so big?

"It...it doesn't matter what I can do, put that food down!" Cedar said.

The creature laughed. Just like the forest-talents had. Was Cedar that useless of a Never Fairy? He HAD to do SOMETHING! He glanced around. Here, there; up, down. The creature dropped the pumpkin in order to snatch Cedar -- but the sparrowman easily dodged out of reach and the unknown thing stumbled over the pumpkin.

"Ha! You're as ungraceful as a Clumsy," Cedar taunted.

That made the creature angry. It growled and leaped at the forest-talent, swiping poor Cedar out of the sky.

"Oof! Ow..." Cedar fell into a muddy puddle, his wings weighed him down with dirt and water. But what really hurt was that he now sat on a pointy chestnut; which actually saved his life as it prevented him from sinking into the mud.

"NOW who is going to stop me, little fairy?" The creature made to stomp on Cedar, yet the smart sparrowman thrust a hand out to the tree next to him and asked it to rain down its prickly chestnuts -- something only a forest-talents could do; even garden-talents couldn't talk to trees.

The beast howled as it looked up at the sudden rustle of leaves and the shower of spiky chestnuts. It tired to protect its face, finally giving up and running away; dropping the horn of plenty.

Smiling to himself, Cedar had a feeling the creature wouldn't be back.

"Cedar! Oh, thank the Second Star you're okay!" Hyacinth came rushing to greet the forest-talent, as he walked out of the Autumn Forest wood. "I've been searching everywhere for you after some scout-talents spotted a howling beast crashing out of the Autumn Forest."

Cedar didn't say anything, only continued to walk towards the Home Tree; his clothes, hair, and wings caked in mud.

"Um...ARE you okay?" Hyacinth asked. "You look...er..."

"Awful?" Cedar said. "Terrible? Horrendous? Like I've just been DRAGGED through the mud?"

"Ah, that...sums it up..."

Cedar stopped. "You can inform Ree that I took care of the shadowy creature."

"You...HAVE?"

"Yes. It shouldn't be coming back anytime soon." Cedar had sounded tired, and then he spun around and beamed at Hyacinth, "The Fairy Feast is saved! All the fall harvest the beast didn't eat he put in some kind of horn. Once I get my wings cleaned and dried off I can show every fairy the way!"

"That's wonderful!" Hyacinth clapped his hands.

~*~

"There it is," Cedar said, pointing at the horn of plenty as it spilled mini pumpkins, Never Squash, apples, and grapes on the forest floor.

All talents of Pixie Hollow, curiosity drawing them, followed Cedar through the Autumn Forest.

Queen Clarion and Hyacinth alighted next to the strange horn.

"Oh! I KNOW what that is," a basket-weaving-talent said, "I read about it. It's called a cornucopia and Clumsies on the Mainland fill it with food and use it as a fall harvest centerpiece."

Cedar watched as the Never Fairies threw dust onto the cornucopia and guided its floating mass to the Pumpkin Patch; where they gently settled it down by Knothole Pantry, a storage house where the animal fairies gathered food for their fuzzy-wuzzy friends.

"Cedar," Queen Clarion turned to face the sparrowman. "Cedar? Where did he fly off to?"

"There he is!" a scout-talent said.

He was heading back home.

"I'll get him," a fast-flying-talent zoomed off. "Where are you going? Ree wants to talk to you. Hurry, hurry, hurry!" She spoke so fast that at times it was hard to tell what she was saying.

"Not only have you saved our first annual Fairy Feast, to celebrate the harvest, you have also saved Pixie Hollow from a mysterious threat AS WELL AS autumn itself; for without our harvest the season of fall cannot be brought to the Mainland.
"Therefore, from this moment on, I wish for you to look over the preparations for autumn."

Cedar gasped. "You mean...?"

"Yes, I bestow upon you, Cedar, Minister of Autumn," Queen Clarion said. "I know you love the season of fall the most and have great faith that you will not fail in this duty."

The fairy queen smiled. "Ree is fine. Never Fairies! The Fairy Feast was put together to celebrate autumn and its harvest; yet I am sure none of you will protest to the addition that it honor the new Minister of Autumn!"

The different talents clapped and cheered.

Hyacinth approached Cedar. "So, what should I call you, now that you are no longer CEDAR the forest-talent?" He poked him playfully.

Cedar caught a tiny fall leaf as it fell before his face; a lovely crimson. "You can call me Redleaf."

~Epilogue~

The Minister of Autumn rested on a tree branch in the Autumn Forest, watching fairies of all talents help bring blueberries, corn kernels, mini pumpkins, acorns, and Never Squash to the old Cornucopia in Pumpkin Patch Valley; every fall harvest time the horn of plenty had its seat of honor on a tree trunk next to Knothole Pantry, just like it did many, many seasons ago.

Redleaf mused, wondering if that mysterious beast-of-sorts ever missed its cornucopia. He patted the chestnut tree he sat in and thought: "Well, if it ever decides to come back, I know EXACTLY how to get it to leave Pixie Hollow alone."